The Vatican on Friday said late pope John Paul II's coffin will lie in state after his beatification on May 1 and warned the two million plus pilgrims expected against possible ticket touts.
John Paul died in 2005 and was replaced by Pope Benedict XVI.
The beatification, which comes after Vatican authorities attributed a miracle to John Paul earlier this year, is the first step to sainthood.
The Vatican has said it expects as many as two and a half million people to flock to Rome from around the world to honour the popular Polish pope.
Tickets for the ceremonies "are always issued free of charge and no person or organisation can request any kind of payment", the Vatican said in a statement, adding however that there would be restrictions for public safety.
The Vatican said there would be a mass on April 30 on the eve of the beatification starting from 2000 GMT at the Circo Massimo, an ancient Roman arena.
This will be followed by the formal beatification ceremony presided by Benedict XVI in St. Peter's Square starting from 0900 GMT on May 1.
The coffin will then lie in state "immediately after the beatification ceremony and will remain until the flux of the faithful runs out".
There will be another mass the following day on May 2 presided by Vatican number two Tarcisio Bertone also in St. Peter's Square.
John Paul II will then be buried near Michelangelo's famous Pieta sculpture of the Virgin Mary with a dead Jesus Christ in her arms.
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